Tortured

Publisher's Summary

Ensnared in the war-torn, untamed Dark Ages of Britannia, Sierra understands all too well what it takes to survive: the ability to numb the soul. She has learned this lesson the hard way, watching her mother die at the hands of the king's henchmen, her brother cast out into the cold to perish, and discovering the treacherous, leering king holds a crucial secret about her past.

But when he grants Sierra her life, she discovers the pardon is perhaps worse than death. Sierra is made executioner's apprentice, forced to witness unspeakable suffering while encouraged to explore her own sexual power.

Brainwashed and exhausted, Sierra's heart slowly grows cold - until Dryston of Hereford is brought to the dungeon as traitor and spy. Using her sexual allure to extract the warrior's secrets, Sierra finds herself torn between duty and desire. Soon, Sierra is craving the only man who can help set her battered soul free and give her a chance for revenge....

Story

Raw and Gritty Erotica/Romance

This is not a book for the squeamish. It is sexually graphic and violent. It is, I suppose, meant to be a representation of a violent era in the history of Great Britain, and the depiction of the brutality of the era, and it's subsequent effect on the innocent is probably more chillingly accurate than I'm comfortable with, at least in my romances. But that is a personal preference, and you might not feel the same.

There is frequent sex scenes in this book, both in "real time" and in flashbacks. There are sex scenes when I feel fairly sure that at least one partner, if not both, would be physically incapable at that time of performing the act if their lives depended on it. These scenes often feel contrived, and this is aided in no way by the narrator, who delivers sex scenes that are totally devoid of steam.

On the positive side, the author tackles an era in history that many shy away from. She makes you feel like her setting is authentic, and that's always important for me. She slips a paranormal element into her plot seamlessly, an often difficult feat.

The narrator had a pleasant enough voice, but it didn't hit the emotive peaks and valleys that I expect from a good narrator.

A Little below average

I bought the book first and couldn't quite get into it. I figured I was too busy to sit down and envelope myself into the plot like I usually do. So I bought the audio book hoping that listening to the narrator would assist me in delving a bit deeper into the plot. However, the narrator's monotone voice left little to be desired and still left me not knowing how to enjoy this book.

Must Be a Fan of Author

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Not sure what author was aiming for, historical? erotic? so she seemed to combined both with some graphic scenes that painted the period for what it was, AWFUL. The title was off putting as I have tried 3 times to start this book since purchasing in 2012. Determined to finish, this was ok, but doesn't compel me to purchase more from author. This was dark, erotic, and not an uplifting story. With the title, one should have gotten the hint.

If you’ve listened to books by Amanda McIntyre before, how does this one compare?

No, this was a first as I purchased only because Isabelle, AKA Gabra Zackman, is one of my fave readers. I did use the new 1.25x speed and it made it much better as the author had intended. Just too dark a storyline. If you saw the movie Arthur with Clive Owen, you would get this story/timeline dead on.

Which character – as performed by Isabelle Gordon – was your favorite?

our hero and Cyril were best as Ms Gordon does a fab job with male voices. See Lori Forester, Buckhorn series. YUM